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This Family Has Been Living In The Arctic Circle Since 2013 In A Self-Built House Under A Solar Geodesic Dome

Hjertefølger means heart follower in Norwegian, and the Hjertefølger family are certainly true to their name. After all, it takes a very special kind of force to compel you to move to a remote part of the Arctic Circle, but that’s exactly what this family of six decided to do in December 2013.

They built a three-story, five-bedroom, 25-foot-high solar geodesic dome on Norway’s Sandhornøya island, located over 1000km north of Oslo. For those who don’t know, a geodesic dome is a partly spherical structure comprised of a complex network of triangles. Their dome is made from various organic materials including sand, water, and clay, and the shape holds heat while protecting the family from the strong winds and heavy snowfall typical of the region. It also covers a garden area where the Hjertefølgers grow fruits and vegetables. The dome offers panoramic views of the surrounding untouched wilderness, and it also affords the family beautifully unobstructed views of the yearly Northern Lights.

“The feeling we get as we walk into this house is something different from walking in to any other house,” Ingrid Hjertefølger told Inhabitat. “The atmosphere is unique. The house has a calmness; I can almost hear the stillness.” That’s the reward for following your heart. (h/t: inhabitat)

The Hjertefølger family live in this solar geodesic dome situated on Sandhornøya island in northern Norway

The family of six built it themselves using various organic materials such as sand, water, and clay

The dome is 25ft high and has three storeys, five bedrooms, and two bathrooms

It also has an indoor garden where the Hjertefølgers grow fruits and vegetables such as apricots, grapes, kiwis, plums, and cucumbers

Their waste water gets reused to fertilize the plants. The family also composts food scraps and use clean biodegradable household products

“The feeling we get as we walk into this house is something different from walking in to any other house,” said Ingrid

The dome offers panoramic views of the surrounding untouched wilderness, and it also offers unobstructed views of the Northern Lights

“The atmosphere is unique. The house has a calmness; I can almost hear the stillness”

The Hjertefølger family plans to hold workshops, classes, tours and concerts at their eco-friendly nature house

They also hope to build additional cabins for yoga retreats and summer camps

Watch the video below for more info:

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And i get their plans to make it a social place. If that works out - go with it, but if it doesn't for whatever reason, they are stuck with a home in a God forsaken place for the rest of their lives :/

Ok, sounds great... But I'm not a fan of people who homeschool all their lives. If you make a choice to live outside the society, that's fine, but kids don't have any choice if parents decide something. And cutting kids from other children I find hurting. We could go deep into aspects of child development, and how it is influenced by their surroundings, of course you will say I'm ridiculous, but I stand firm with the opinion, that living like this is good for a season or two, but for a life? No. Human is a social being and cutting him off from everyday social reactions eye to eye is unhealthy. And that's how living in this house is presented pretty much.

What makes you think they live in the middle of nowhere? :p Just because they don't live in the middle of the city, it doesn't mean there's nothing there. You can even see neighbour houses and other children in the film. It's quite a large island, and there are kindergardens, schools, etc nearby, and it's easy to get to other towns and villages. A big part of Norway looks like this, and I assure you we are very happy with our lives ;) I don't know what these people work with (and does it really matter..), but farming, fishing and working with tourism is pretty normal in places like these. Also, I suspect they don't need to make that much money once the house is up (houses like these are pretty cheap to build compared to "normal" houses), concidering they produce a lot of the food they eat, they have solar panals for electricity, etc. :)

And i get their plans to make it a social place. If that works out - go with it, but if it doesn't for whatever reason, they are stuck with a home in a God forsaken place for the rest of their lives :/

Ok, sounds great... But I'm not a fan of people who homeschool all their lives. If you make a choice to live outside the society, that's fine, but kids don't have any choice if parents decide something. And cutting kids from other children I find hurting. We could go deep into aspects of child development, and how it is influenced by their surroundings, of course you will say I'm ridiculous, but I stand firm with the opinion, that living like this is good for a season or two, but for a life? No. Human is a social being and cutting him off from everyday social reactions eye to eye is unhealthy. And that's how living in this house is presented pretty much.

What makes you think they live in the middle of nowhere? :p Just because they don't live in the middle of the city, it doesn't mean there's nothing there. You can even see neighbour houses and other children in the film. It's quite a large island, and there are kindergardens, schools, etc nearby, and it's easy to get to other towns and villages. A big part of Norway looks like this, and I assure you we are very happy with our lives ;) I don't know what these people work with (and does it really matter..), but farming, fishing and working with tourism is pretty normal in places like these. Also, I suspect they don't need to make that much money once the house is up (houses like these are pretty cheap to build compared to "normal" houses), concidering they produce a lot of the food they eat, they have solar panals for electricity, etc. :)